Zapharos looked thunderstruck. Dravok’s aura coiled tightly around him. Under my hand, Thyros stood rigid, the dark markon his back still pulsing in perfect alignment with the void on the wall.
I stared at the glowing prophecy, brow furrowed. None of it made sense to me. Three who were never meant to shine? The bonded three? The Harrowed One laughing in the silence between stars? It sounded like the ravings of a mad prophet, not something that should be written on the walls of our ancestors’ most sacred place.
Ashley caught my eye across the group. We both shrugged at the same time, the universal gesture of I have no idea what any of this means.
I finally spoke, voice cutting through the heavy silence. “What does this mean?”
The chamber erupted.
Ella started talking rapidly about bloodlines and copies. Nadine was already trying to cross-reference the glyphs with known star charts. Zapharos and Dravok began arguing about whether theShadowreferred to Thyros or the Harrowed One. Thyros himself stayed dangerously quiet, his shoulders tense, and the black mark on his back still glowed ominously.
I rubbed my temple; the golden light from my own Starmap suddenly felt too bright. “Can someone explain it in normal words? Because right now it sounds like a children’s riddle designed to drive us all insane.”
I was ignored. The heated discussion around me only grew louder. And somewhere in the back of my mind, a quiet, terrifying thought took root: We had just activated something ancient. And whatever it was… it had been waiting for us.
Thyros’ hand settled on my lower back, warm, steady, possessive. The contact sent a sharp jolt straight through me. The golden thread between us strummed hard, a low, vibrating hum that settled deep in my belly and spread lower. Heat pooled between my thighs, sudden and undeniable. I was getting wet.Right here, surrounded by everyone, because of nothing more than his palm pressed against my bare skin.
I tried to ignore it. I failed.
Ella was the first to speak, her voice trembled with awe and recognition. “The Shadow will wake… That has to be you, Dravok.”
Dravok nodded slowly, eyes fixed on the wall.
“Andthe Starmap will burn across three who were never meant to shine… That’s us. The three Aelyth bonds. Me, Nadine, and Naeris. We are all part of this ancient cycle.”
Nadine stepped closer, her scientific mind already dissecting every syllable. “One born of the Abyss will find his light in the daughter of the First Fracture.” She looked directly at me, then at Thyros. “Naeris, you’re clearly the daughter of the First Fracture, Ashera’s direct line. And Thyros is the one born of the Abyss…”
She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to.
Thyros’ fingers flexed against my back, pulling me a fraction closer to his side. The bond thrummed louder. My nipples tightened against my bra. I was acutely aware of the slick heat building between my legs and the way my pulse hammered in my throat. When I glanced up at him, and our eyes locked, electricity crackled between us, raw, undeniable, and dangerous. His crimson-gold gaze burned with something dark and hungry that made my breath hitch. For a heartbeat, the rest of the room faded. There was only the heat in his eyes and the way my body responded to him like it had been waiting its entire life for this.
Ashley crossed her arms, bringing me back to reality. “When the three maps align, the Veil will tear.” She gestured at the wall. “We just did that. Your marks, plus their marks, equal the completed map.”
Ella’s voice grew thicker with emotion. “What was erased will be remembered… Earth.”
“What was broken will be made whole again,” Nadine shook her head, "any idea what that means?"
Nobody did.
The final lines hung heaviest in the air.
But beware, the Harrowed One laughs in the silence between stars. Only the bonded three can silence him… or feed him forever.
Xandros rubbed his jaw, looking uneasy for the first time. “So the three of you—the bonded pairs—are the key. The only ones who can stop the Harrowed One… or make him stronger.”
I swallowed hard. The weight of those words settled on my shoulders like stone. Thyros’ hand slid from my back to my hip, fingers splaying possessively. The bond sang between us, hot and insistent. I had to press my thighs together as I fought the urge to lean fully into him.
I wanted him.
I wanted him so badly, it was becoming difficult to think straight. And from the way his fingers flexed on my hip and the dark heat flared in his eyes when he looked down at me, he knew it too.
The chamber was silent except for the faint pulse of the completed Starmap.
I let out a shaky breath. “So… we’re the ones who either save everything or doom it?”
Thyros’ voice was a low growl against my ear, meant only for me. “We’re not dooming anything, little rebel. Not while I’m still breathing.”
His hand tightened on my hip. The golden thread between us flared brighter than ever. And for the first time, I wasn’t sure I wanted to push him away.
